Volume 5 Number 092 PT Boats

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Volume 5 Number 092 PT Boats - Mighty Mites of WW II - II Lead: During World War II, pound for pound the PT Boat was the most heavily armed ship in the U.S. Navy. Intro.: A Moment in Time with Dan Roberts. Content: Patrol Torpedo boats, or as they were known, PT boats were often the first line of offense for the Allies in the dark early days of World War II in the southwest Pacific. They were powerful, swift and sleek, packing a punch out of all proportion to their size. A PT squadron extracted General Douglas MacArthur from beleaguered Corregidor Island in the spring of 1942, and before larger ships were present in sufficient numbers they harried Japanese shipping and naval units. Like search and destroy missions in Vietnam, each night, squadrons of PT boats would head out to sea and audaciously attack anything that moved. Life on the PT Boats was pretty spartan. Enlisted crew slept in tiny racks up front in the fo’c’s’le. The diet was monotony itself - canned everything occasionally punctuated by the always blessed arrival of ice cream. The boats were typically stationed forward of the main base areas on the bright edge of contact with the enemy. By the time movies, canteens and laundry facilities showed up the PTs were long gone. Theirs was dangerous work often calling for close combat with well- armed opponents. By 1943, their navy had been so decimated that the Japanese were forced to supply island troops with barges that ran down the coastline at night. PT Boat captains would hide in the shallows under the cover of the shoreline and pounce with deadly surprise. Small and often unheralded, the PT boats nevertheless played an indispensable role in the Allied victory in the Pacific during World War II. At the University of Richmond, this is Dan Roberts. Resources Keresey, Dick. “Farthest Forward,” American Heritage (July-August 1998): 60-73. Copyright by Dan Robert Enterprises, Inc. .

Copy Link

Recommended publications

Coastal Warfare in World War II
Coastal Warfare in World War II Christopher P. Carlson Cold Wars 2003 Admiralty Trilogy Seminar Introduction Coastal Warfare in WWII ♦ What is Coastal Warfare? ♦ Lioral/Coastal Environment ♦ Background ♦ Mighty Midgets - “Small Craft” ♦ Roles and Missions ♦ Tactics Overview ♦ National Development ♦ Post-WWII ♦ Coastal Warfare and CaS ♦ Some Good Books What is Coastal Warfare? Coastal Warfare in WWII ♦ “Lioral” or Coastal waters ♦ Shallow water, often sheltered waters • Sometimes too shallow for larger naval vessels ♦ Not seagoing ships • Can’t operate in Sea State 4-5, even then it’s unpleasant ♦ More than just PTs and other high-speed craft • Motor launches for minesweeping, ASW, rescue (e.g. British MLs) • Small minesweepers (e.g. German R-boats) • Barges for transporting cargo (e.g. Japanese Daihatsus) • Landing craft ♦ Common factor is small size • Limited endurance • Light armament • Low damage capacity !! Littoral/Coastal Environment Coastal Warfare in WWII ♦ Difficult environment due to the close proximity of land ♦ Detection Issue - Heavy clu1er ♦ Classification Issue - Many false contacts ♦ Reduced operation space - Restricted maneuverability ♦ All combine to reduce a ship’s reaction time Coastal waters Background Coastal Warfare in WWII ♦ WWI - These are distinct from the “Torpedo Boat” • Seagoing vessel intended for fleet action ♦ Who built coastal combatants? • Britain: Built a dozen Coastal Motor Boats (CMBs) ■ 40 ft long, single rearward launched torpedo & a few MGs ■ Several dozen motor launches, 76ft long, 3 pdr, general-purpose
[Show full text]
BULKELEY, JOHN D.: Papers, 1928-84
DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER LIBRARY ABILENE, KANSAS BULKELEY, JOHN D.: Papers, 1928-84 Accessions 70-76 & 86-21 Processed by: BSR, TB Date Completed: April 2001 Admiral Bulkeley deposited his papers in the Dwight D. Eisenhower Library in March 1970. A small accretion was received in April 1986. Linear feet: -1 Approximate number of pages: 1200 Approximate number of items: 420 Admiral Bulkeley signed an instrument of gift for his papers on April 3, 1970. Literary rights in the writings of Admiral Bulkeley in this collection and in all other collections of papers donated to the Eisenhower Library were retained by Admiral Bulkeley. Upon his death in April 1996 such rights passed to the public. Under terms of the instrument of gift, the following classes of items are withheld from research use: 1. Papers relating to the family and private business affairs. 2. Papers relating to the family and private business affairs of others persons who have had correspondence with Admiral Bulkeley. 3. Papers relating to investigations of individuals or to appointments and personnel matters. 4. Papers containing statements made by or to the donor in confidence unless in the judgment of the Director of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Library the reason for the confidentiality no longer exists. 5. All other papers which contain information or statements that might be used to injure, harass, or damage any living person. SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE John Bulkeley, a career naval officer, graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1933 and was serving in the Pacific at the start of World War II.
[Show full text]
Accounting Contributions to World War II
University of Mississippi eGrove Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 2010 The Accounting Profession Goes to War: Accounting Contributions to World War II Mark Ernest Jobe Follow this and additional works at: https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd Part of the Accounting Commons Recommended Citation Jobe, Mark Ernest, "The Accounting Profession Goes to War: Accounting Contributions to World War II" (2010). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 151. https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/151 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at eGrove. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of eGrove. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Mark Jobe entitled “The Accounting Profession Goes to War: Accounting Contributions to World War II.” I have examined the final copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Accountancy. ______________________________ Dr. Dale L. Flesher (Chair) Associate Dean and Professor of Accountancy E. H. Patterson School of Accountancy We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: _____________________________________ Dr. Royce Kurtz Reference Bibliographer and Associate Professor J. D. Williams Library _____________________________________ Dr. Judith Cassidy Associate Professor
[Show full text]
Song of the Beauforts
Song of the Beauforts Song of the Beauforts No 100 SQUADRON RAAF AND BEAUFORT BOMBER OPERATIONS SECOND EDITION Colin M. King Air Power Development Centre © Commonwealth of Australia 2008 This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission. Inquiries should be made to the publisher. Approval has been received from the owners where appropriate for their material to be reproduced in this work. Copyright for all photographs and illustrations is held by the individuals or organisations as identified in the List of Illustrations. Disclaimer The views expressed in this work are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defence, the Royal Australian Air Force or the Government of Australia. The Commonwealth of Australia will not be legally responsible in contract, tort or otherwise, for any statements made in this document. Release This document is approved for public release, distribution unlimited. Portions of this document may be quoted or reproduced without permission, provided a standard source credit is included. First published 2004 Second edition 2008 Published by the Air Power Development Centre National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Author: King, Colin M. Title: Song of the Beauforts : No 100 Squadron RAAF and the Beaufort bomber operations / author, Colin M. King. Edition: 2nd ed. Publisher: Tuggeranong, A.C.T. : Air Power Development Centre, 2007. ISBN: 9781920800246 (pbk.) Notes: Includes index. Subjects: Beaufort (Bomber)--History. Bombers--Australia--History World War, 1939-1945--Aerial operations, Australian--History.
[Show full text]
PT-305 Fact Sheet
PT-305 Fact Sheet Higgins “78” Specifications: • Length 78 feet • Beam 20 feet 1 inch • Draft 5 feet 3 inches • Weight 43-56 tons, depending on weapons • Engines 3 Packard V-12s • Speed 40 knots • Crew 2 officers, 11 men • Higgins designed boat (Mr. Sprauge) • More maneuverable than ELCO • Engines located mid-ship Weapons and Other Equipment: • .50-caliber twin machine guns, effective as an anti-aircraft and anti-personnel weapon • Oerlikon 20mm guns for use against both air- and surface craft • 4 Mark 13 torpedoes, mounted in roll-off launching racks, each weighing over a ton including a 600- pound warhead • Mark 6 anti-submarine depth charge • small 60mm mortar able to launch illuminating rounds, lay smoke screens, and bombard shore targets • stern-mounted canister of compressed gas for smoke screens • radar, especially useful at night (In the Med, radar-equipped American PT boats would often be paired up with British MTBs (motor torpedo boats), which had no radar, to hunt for German flak lighters at night. PT-305 restoration stats: • Volunteers: 202 all-time; 67 currently • Volunteer man-hours: 105,000 • Volunteer labor value: about $2 million • Monetary donations: about $400,000 • Donations from more than 100 companies • In-kind donations: nearly $3 million worth of supplies, materials, and parts including: • Approximately 300 gallons of paint • 120 gallons of Dolphinte bedding compound • 480 yard of #10 Cotton Duck • 10,000 board foot of mahogany • 3,000 board foot of cypress • 75 sheets marine plywood • 39,000 copper rivets • 3 miles of caulked seam (double that for masking tape) • 36,000 silicon bronze screws • 12,459 feet of cabling and wiring PT Boat Losses During the war: 69 of the 531 PT boats lost in service (source: PT Boats, Inc.) • Accident, friendly fire, sea conditions: 22 • Destroyed to prevent capture: 21 • Aircraft: 5 • Ship: 5 • Shore Battery: 5 • Mine: 4 • Rammed: 2 • Kamikaze: 2 • Other: 3 Postwar: • Burned off a beach at Samar, Philippines: 118 • Many were given to allies, including China, South Korea, and the Soviet Union.
[Show full text]
Americanlegionvo1131amer.Pdf (6.276Mb)
- Dynamic Denim... styled for action priced for value! His or Her Jackets OnlY$-1C95 each m m plus shipping H and handling Expensive fashion details you'd think would cost more! • Colorful flannel trim • Comfort-styled raglan sleeves save $2.00 • Double entry pockets with snap tabs order • Clever sleeve pocket you • Adjustable drawstring bottom t\NO\ • Snap front and cuffs • Rugged 100% cotton denim For active wear or fashion, this denim jacket's right anywhere, anytime. Here's your carefree cover-up for shopping, biking, ballgames, picnics, hiking — anywhere you want style, comfort and good looks! In sturdy 100% cotton . easy care, too, just machine wash and tumble dry. NO-RISK 14-DAY TRIAL (with credit approval) Wear-test your jacket for TWO FULL WEEKS! See how great it looks — how super it feels — how well it fits your casual lifestyle. If you're not 100% delighted, just send it back. CHOOSE FROM ALL THESE SIZES: Men's Small (34-36) X-Large (46-48) Medium (38-40) XX-Large (50-52) Large (42-44) Women's Small (8-10) X-Large (20-22) Medium (12-14) XX-Large (24) Large (16-18) We reserve the right to substitute similar merchandise of equal or better quality. © Fingerhut Imported from Hong Kong, The People's Republic of China or Indonesia. 5-048572-000 Order today SATISFACTION ASSURED NO-RISK COUPON Fingerhut Corporation, P.O. Box 2500, St. Cloud, MN S6395 it Please send me the JacheKs) I've indicated. If I am delighted with (them) after my 14-day Home Trial, I agree to pay the cash price of $15,95 for one plus $5,35 shipping and handling, (Tota! cash price of $21,30) m 3 monthly installments of $7,10 each (two jackets: $29,90 plus $6,04 shipping and handling for a total cash price of $35,94 in 3 monthly installments of $11,98 each).
[Show full text]
An Administrative History of PT's in World War II
AN ADMINISTRATIVE HISTORY OF PT’S IN WORLD WAR II OFFICE OF NAVAL HISTORY 15 February 1946 Recreated from microfilm by members of the PT Boat Message Board . PRELIMINARY ISSUE http://www.ptboats.org/cgi-local/sitenetbbs/netboard.cgi PLEASE VISIT THE PT BOAT MESSAGE BOARD AN ADMINISTRATIVE HISTORY OF PT’s IN WORLD WAR II 3 (Recreated October 25, 2010 the members of the PT Boat Message board) Document Recreated, October 26, 2010 (From a microfilmed copy of the original Navy document.) This post World War II Navy document from 1946, has been recreated from microfilm copy by a group of PT Boat Message Board members from the PT Boats, Inc. website. All textural content has been retyped, charts redrawn, and where possible, photographic content has been replaced with a better copy of the same image or a very similar image. The format of the document has also been changed from the original 1946 typewriter style document to a more finish published book appearance. A detailed table of contents has been added, as well as assigning figure numbers to all photographs and charts with their page location listed at the end of the table of contents and as a final change the Appendices section has been page numbered. Although these changes have been added, the actual document content has not been changed except for obvious typographic errors. Because of the Lexicon and military writing style from the nineteen forty’s era; the content, spelling and acronym used can’t be verified. This recreation has been made as a historical note, making it more available for those with the desire to learn more about the World War II Motor Torpedo Boat service and its boats.
[Show full text]
Jacksonsun.Com Ride on PT Boat a Thrill for Navy
jacksonsun.com A GANNETT COMPANY Ride on PT boat a thrill for Navy veteran Flynn 9:00 PM, Jul. 30, 2011 The P.T. 658 in Portland, Ore., is the only patrol torpedo boat remaining in operation. / BOB FLYNN/The Jackson Sun Bob Flynn had never seen a PT boat, aside from watching the movie "PT 109" and the 1960s television series "McHale's Navy," starring Ernest Borgnine. So Flynn, a former Navy lieutenant, was delighted last weekend to get to ride on PT 658, the only fully restored and operational U.S. Navy PT boat in the world. He got the chance in Portland, Ore., where the crew of his ship, the USS Litchfield County, had its second reunion. The first was in Indianapolis in 2009, 40 years after most of the guys left the service. Flynn is 67 and lives in Jackson with Maggie Joy, his bride of almost 39 years. He graduated from Adams State College in Colorado in 1966 and entered the Navy officer candidate school in Newport, R.I. "It was the coldest winter of my life," Flynn said, laughing. He was commissioned as an ensign in March 1967 and went to sea on the USS Litchfield County, an LST, which stands for landing ship tank or "large slow target," Flynn said. An LST, with a crew of about 100, transports personnel and heavy equipment and is capable of delivering its cargo onto a beach. The front of the ship opens, and trucks, tanks, you name it, drive on ramps out of the ship and onto land.
[Show full text]
Patrol Torpedo Boats During World War II
University of New Orleans ScholarWorks@UNO University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations Dissertations and Theses Fall 12-15-2012 Firing Point: Patrol Torpedo Boats during World War II Joshua J. Schick University of New Orleans, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td Part of the Military History Commons, and the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Schick, Joshua J., "Firing Point: Patrol Torpedo Boats during World War II" (2012). University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations. 1602. https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/1602 This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by ScholarWorks@UNO with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights- holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/or on the work itself. This Thesis has been accepted for inclusion in University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UNO. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Firing Point: Patrol Torpedo Boats during World War II A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the University of New Orleans in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History By Joshua James Schick B.A. Louisiana State University, 2010 December, 2012 Acknowledgement I would like to thank my thesis committee comprised of Dr.
[Show full text]
Boats and Harbors Publication 9-06
“The” Marine Marketplace ® -and-ha ats rbo bo rs. Now Online!! c w. o w m w Visit our website at www.boats-and-harbors.com $3.00 Published (3) Times Each Month SECOND AUGUST ISSUE 2016 • VOLUME 59 NO. 9 See the “Yellow Sheet” Today For All Your CROSSVILLE, TENNESSEE 38557 PH: (931) 484-6100 • FAX: (931) 456-2337 Email: [email protected] Commercial Marine Needs!! Marine, Oilfield & Construction bid ONLINE AUCTIONEERS ASSN., INC. BIDDING LAA AVAILABLEVA ABLEAILV Houma, La • September 29th Scan for Auction Details! Consign Now...NoNowww...... Call: 800-850-2252 VirtualVirtual Auction at the Houma Civic Center in Houma, LA a photographer will be sent onsite to photograph/video lots after a signed contract is in place. Call Sabrina/Jessica at 225-686-2252 to discuss auction terms or email [email protected] Buyeruyer’s’B s Premium 10% on the 1st $50,000, Auctioneer: M. Henderson La Lic# 136-16 then 2% on the remaining balance Contents of this publication either in whole or in part may not be reproduced without the express permission of the publisher. Is that Boats and Harbors in your Copyright © 2016 Donnelly Advertising & Publishing. hand sir? Please anything for a perusal of the Yellow Sheet! I’ ve been adrift BOATS & HARBORS Is Published 3 Times Each Month and Each Issue Goes by Direct Mail and Internet to Thousands of Individual Boat Owners, Builders and Operators, Tug, Pushboat and Barge Owners and Builders, Boat Yards, Commercial Fishermen, Packers and Processors. Divers and Diving Companies, for 3 months! Docks, Dredgers, Exporters, Ferrymen, Freighters, Harbor Personnel, Longshoremen, Marinas, Steamship Companies, Marine Contractors, Off-Shore and Inland Oil Exploration Firms, Pile Drivers, Marine Salvage Firms, Ship Yards, Terminals, Towing Companies, Marine Warehouses, Government Agencies & other Related Businesses in the U.
[Show full text]
Local Ties to Preservation of a World War II Patrol Boat
The Lakeland Times January 19, 2016 • Page 3 Local ties to preservation of a World War II patrol boat Lac du Flambeau’s Simpson Electric and PT-305 By Brian Jopek Contributed artwork OF THE LAKELAND TIMES A drawing of PT-305 showing the The story begins with a United States features Navy patrol torpedo boat, better known of the boat. as a PT boat, being restored at the Published with permission of National World War II Museum in New the artist. Orleans, Louisiana. Built in 1943 by Higgins Industries in New Orleans and one of the few PT boats to survive the war, PT-305, which during its time in Navy service was known affectionately by crew members as The Sudden Jerk , The Bar Fly and The Half Hitch , has been undergoing a multi-year restoration at the museum. While most of the PT boats that served in the Pacific war were stripped of equip - ment and weapons and destroyed instead of being returned to the States, PT-305 and the other boats in its motor torpedo boat squadron, known as Ron 22, were said the restoration of PT-305 is now in Louis” in 1927. Years later, in the 1960s, something out. I sold the gauges to them already back home from duty in the war’s its sixth year. the company would produce the cross- at our cost.” European theater and were being pre - He’s been in charge of procuring a pointer instrument used on the Apollo V It took several weeks to produce the pared to be sent to the Pacific.
[Show full text]
The Submarine Chaser Training Center Downtown Miami’S International Graduate School of Anti-Submarine Warfare During World War II
The Submarine Chaser Training Center Downtown Miami’s International Graduate School Of Anti-Submarine Warfare During World War II Charles W. Rice Our purpose is like the Concord light. A continuous vigil at sea. Protecting ships front submarines, To keep our country free.1 The British freighter Umtata slowly lumbered north, hugging the Dade Count}’ coast during the humid South Florida night of July 7, 1942. Backlit by the loom of Miami s lights, she made an irresistible target for German Kapitanleutnant Helmut Mohlntann as he squinted through the lens of Unterseeboot-5~l's periscope. W hen the doomed freighter was fixed in its crosshairs, Mohlntann shouted, “Fire!” The sudden vibration of his stealthy death ship was followed by an immediate hissing sound as the E-7 electric eel escaped its firing tube through a swirl of compressed air bubbles. The U-boat skipper and his hydrophone operator carefully timed the torpedo’s run, while the men hopefully waited for the blast sig naling the demise of yet another victim of Admiral Karl Donitz's “Operation Drumbeat.” Within seconds, a tremendous explosion rewarded their hopes as the star-crossed merchant vessel erupted into a huge billowing fireball.- Millions of gallons of crude oil. gasoline and other petroleum prod ucts desperately needed in the Allied war effort were being shipped up the Florida coast in tankers from Texas, Venezuela, Aruba and Curacao to New Jersey and New York ports. From those staging areas, tankers and freighters carrying oil and munitions combined in convovs traveling east across the North Atlantic to the British Isles.
[Show full text]